COMPLEX PROJECT LEADERSHIP IN THE LIGHT OF EASTERN WISDOM
A forthcoming book by Trương Văn Thiện (Thien Van), Founding Director of PM Solutions Vietnam
After more than 30 years in the energy industry — more than 20 of them spent directly leading complex energy projects in Vietnam — Trương Văn Thiện, Founding Director of PM Solutions Vietnam, is preparing to share his latest book: Complex Project Leadership in the Light of Eastern Wisdom.
Most project leadership literature today draws almost entirely on Western analytical and systems thinking. This book asks a different question: what happens when a complex project leader also draws on a second, older source of strength — the wisdom traditions of the East?
Grounded in the author’s own experience leading large-scale, multi-stakeholder, multi-system energy projects that unfold over many years, the book builds its framework around three pillars:
- Two Foundational Sources of Energy — Faith and Aspiration — that steady a leader amid the shifting forces of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.
- Six Practices for Building Culture — drawn from the spirit of the Six Harmonies, for building a project organization grounded in trust and shared purpose.
- Eight Practices of True Leadership — the Noble Eightfold Path translated into concrete daily practices for leading complex projects.
Throughout, the book weaves modern analytical thinking together with Eastern contemplative insight — from Taoist and Confucian philosophy to Buddhist practice and meditation — and applies it directly to the real, difficult moments of project work: managing stakeholders, building teams, deciding under uncertainty, and holding a steady mind through crisis.
The English translation is now complete and is being prepared for submission to an international partner, with the hope of contributing a Vietnamese perspective to the global body of knowledge on complex project leadership.
The book is forthcoming. Updates will be posted on pmsolutions.vn.